Weird World Of Webcomics: Patrick Farley’s ‘The First Word’ (NSFW)

Without exaggeration, “The First Word” is probably the most astonishing and inventive webcomic that we’ve profiled here at the Weird World of Webcomics.

Patrick Farley has been cited by many as one of the founding fathers of the “webcomic” movement. So it makes sense that his newest work – a sort-of origin story of language – pushes the boundaries of what we consider a “webcomic” by using a combination of a streaming interface, animated visuals, and 3D technology. Farley’s work is truly stunning (but is probably best viewed at home, since it is a little NSFW-ish).

Other than being a highly innovative piece of comic art, “The First Word” also conveys an engaging story of a past civilization’s development. Reading the comic is almost like being transported a thousand years into the past. There’s a twist at the end, but I won’t spoil the surprise. The First Word is a beautiful and strange comic, and could be a preview of what comics might look like in the future.

The First Word should be required reading for any fan of comics. You can check it out, along with more of Farley’s experimental webcomic work at Electric Sheep Comix.

Will Penny hails from the cornfields of Iowa, but calls the sunny beaches of Southern California his home these days. When he’s not out surfing you can probably catch him at a local coffee shop doodling away at another creepy picture for his webcomic Sex and Monsters.

Yeah, I’m just impressed with Farley’s innovation and experimentation with his comic strips. But I was actually just thinking that it’d be pretty rad to see a more traditional comic artist use the same “animated scrolling panel” method that Farley does.